Island shots

Moving on from the RSPB bird sanctuary on Rathlin you do get some nice views of the island if you are on a wee boat as we were.  The 180mm fixed lens I was using was a bit too long most of the time, but here are a couple of shots for your amusement.

Birds still filling the air

I quite like the sense of depth in that one above - the light must have been doing something interesting.

This next one shows the limestone cliffs.  They used to quarry the limestone on the island - sometime around the late 19th/early 20th century, so our host Alan informed us.  Apparently the ladders only reached so high, and that's when the quarrying stopped.  I can just about imagine what it must have been like quarrying in those days, what with only hand tools and all - but on a ladder, a hundred feet up?  Seriously?

Rathlin's Limestone Cliffs

The way the sea has eroded the rocks here is very reminiscent of the White Rocks near Portrush - not altogether surprising since Portrush is only about 10 miles away across on the 'mainland'.  It's almost safe to visit Portrush again, now that the holiday season is drawing to a close, but I think I'll give it another month, by which time no doubt we'll be having mad gales and rain and stuff - and there might just be something worth pointing a camera at.